Press Release
Citifix Public Services App by Peijin Du Receives the A' Design Award in Software Design
Peijin Du recognized for software design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Citifix Public Services App by Peijin Du, designed for Citifix, has been granted the A' Design Award in the Software Design category. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The A' Design Award Explained
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About Citifix Public Services App
Citifix tackles urban issues like potholes and broken streetlights using GIS technology for smarter maintenance. Inspired by real-life frustrations, it allows residents to report problems with geotagging and photos, ensuring accurate data. City teams can visualize problem areas, prioritize repairs, and allocate resources efficiently. The simple workflow makes reporting fast and convenient, while officials gain real-time insights to improve response times and infrastructure management.
About Peijin Du
Peijin is an influential designer known for her work on innovation, accessibility, and user-centered design. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), she began applying her expertise to improve how people interact with technology. Peijin is passionate about developing inclusive, meaningful solutions for diverse audiences by combining her technical knowledge with a deep commitment to user-centered design. Throughout her career, Peijin has remained focused on exploring emerging technologies and integrating them with human-centered principles to enhance user experiences.
Award Record
This recognition makes Peijin Du a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Software Design Award
The A' Software Design Award is an international software design competition recognizing good software designs by leading software developers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to software designers, software developers, coders and programmers from all countries. Entries typically include applications, databases, operating systems, networks, games and simulations. Awarded software designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/software
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/164916
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/164916
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!164916
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/359503
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Citifix Public Services App
- Function
- Public Services App
- Category
- Software Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Software
- Colors
- Lavender, Light Gray, Dark Gray, Gray and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Citifix
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Peijin Du
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #164916
Credits
- Image Credits
- Product Designer Peijin Du, CitiFix, 2025.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- CitiFix is an innovative project designed to tackle urban infrastructure issues such as broken streetlights, potholes, and damaged water pipes. It was born from the personal experiences of its creators, who encountered various challenges in their own neighborhoods. This platform allows citizens to quickly report problems using geotagging and photo uploads, ensuring accurate documentation of issues.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for CitiFix came from the small everyday issues people face in cities, such as potholes, broken streetlights, and similar problems, that often go unreported. I wanted to design an easy to use app that empowers residents to quickly report these issues and track their resolution. CitiFix brings city maintenance closer to the community, making urban living safer and more connected for everyone.
- Research
- For CitiFix, we used user-centered design, combining surveys, interviews, and usability testing with 25 residents, city officials, and maintenance crews. Tools like Figma, Maze, and Google Forms streamlined feedback collection. Findings showed reporting systems were too complex, leading to underreporting, while maintenance teams lacked clarity and real-time updates. We designed an intuitive interface with real-time tracking to improve efficiency and engagement.
- Challenge
- Testing the AR scanning feature in different environments posed a challenge, as not all phones handled the technology smoothly, especially older models, leading to usability issues that had to be addressed.
- Realization and Technology
- GIS for Spatial Data Management: Visualized on an interactive map, allowing city maintenance teams to track, manage, and analyze infrastructure issues. Augmented Reality (AR): Enhances real-world interactions by overlaying icons on the interactive map. AI-powered Processing: Automatically categorizes and prioritizes reports.
- Operation and Interaction
- Users interact with CitiFix by opening the app and scanning their surroundings using the AR feature, which identifies infrastructure issues like potholes or broken streetlights. They can tap on the detected problem, or manually select it from a list, attach photos, and add details. Once the request is submitted, users can track its progress in real-time, making reporting quick, intuitive, and engaging.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in December 2023 in Chicago, IL, and finished in May 2024. It was exhibited at The Blanc Gallery NYC and Penn Museum in 2024.
- Specifications
- Citizens can use their iOS and Android devices to capture photos, mark issue locations, and submit detailed reports directly through the mobile app. The system ensures accurate geotagging and seamless report submission, making it easy for residents to contribute to city improvements in real time. For city maintenance teams, a web-based platform provides an interactive dashboard to review, prioritize, and manage reported issues efficiently. Integrated GIS analytics generate actionable insights, helping teams identify recurring problems, optimize resource allocation, and streamline maintenance operations for smarter urban management.
- Keywords
- Public Services, Platform, Community, App Design, Smart City
